make 3% less on that opportunity. >> reporter: in the fiscal cliff negotiations, republicans still argue that higher taxes will hurt small business jobs. but, scott, democrats up here argue that this debate is over. that raising taxes on the wealthiest americans of all kinds was decisively approved by the voters in the election. >> pelley: wyatt, thank you. yarmer president george h.w. bush is in a houston hospital tonight being treated for bronchitis. the hospital told us it's not life threatening. mr. bush is 88 and was last seen at the white house in may for the unveiling of his son's onrtrait. millions were disappointed, but dere were some winners in that big powerball drawing. that story is next. copd makes it hard to breathe, but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of oste

off the fiscal cliff unless republicans bend on taxes. a comment by former democratic potential candidate howard deen frightened republicans that the debate is not just about raising taxes on the rich. >> the truth is everybody needs to take more taxes, not just the rich. that's a good start, but we're not going to get out of the deficit problem unless we raise taxes across the board. to go back to what bill clinton had. >> now, some liberals pushed the president to invoke the 14th amendment claiming that gives him the executive power to raise the debt limit himself, but jay said today the white house studied that proposition and decided the president does not have that executive power meaning we headed for another show down with congress over raising the debt ceiling. lou: the fiscal cliff and now a new ultimatum on the national debt ceiling. you suppose this is the last condition? >> it's going to be a wild couple of months, maybe everybody thought with the election over, there was going to be peace and figure all of this out, but i think we're just at the beginning of a long

somewhat abstract. >> how do republicans change that message, because we're in the middle of fiscal cliff negotiations, and all you hear are about preserving tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. that just feeds into this lack of connecting to the middle class that's been a problem. >> here's your answer and it's difficult and nuanced. traditionally republicans economic message that resonated with the middle class is our taxes will be lower on you. democrats have co-opted on that. they promise taxes on the middle class but do it simultaneously with giving high spending that. cannot last forever so republicans have to make people realize that is a utopia that doesn't exist. you can't have low taxes and high spending that democrats are currently promising. >> we've had $520 billion spent on jobless benefits over the past five years, and i bet they are probably pretty evenly divided between republicans and democrats and the big message on government spending has been distorted because we've had a crazy recession. i want to bring in anna because the president built that winning location of african-americans, latinos and women. it's a gone primarily of rich white man. why not let the ta

fiscal cliff took a new turn today. treasury secretary tim geithner making a bold prediction that the republicans will go along with a tax hike for the healthy. but it certainly didn't sound that way on the other side. what is at stake for the average american family? with 30 days to go until the deadline? david kerley at the white house tonight. >> reporter: president obama and his white house team appear confident with the stronger hand in talks with house republicans, demanding and believing tax rates for the wealthy are going up. >> there is no responsible way we can govern the country with those low rates in place for future generations. those rates are going to have to go up. >> i was flabbergasted. i look at him and i said, you can't be serious. >> reporter: the two sides are seriously far apart. the president wants $1.6 billion in new tax revenue over ten years. the speaker wants half that. the president wants spending cuts, $600 billion. to medicare and other programs. not enough, says the speaker. >> if we gave the president 1.6 trillion of more money, what do you think

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cliff might be better because obama not only wants soak the rich tax increases that would automatically happen, he then wants additional taxes on top of that would be very bad for american competitiveness. we don't want to send jobs to china and india but almost as if obama wants to do that. at least if we went over the cliff, we would get the sequester, which is the budget wonk term for automatic reductions in the growth of spending. melissa: absolutely but i'm not sure republicans are giving in as much as you think. if you drill down on the details, as soon as i saw 800 billion in new tax revenue, my immediate question did they give on the point of marginal rates and from the language it doesn't look like. more a tax code basically closes loopholes. they employ all the euphemisms to say you will get rid of deductions. sounds like that is where the 800 billion in new revenue is coming from. they didn't give on marginal rates at all. >> that is good news but only good news in the sense we're not traveling as fast in the wrong direction. you're talking about giving more money to the least competent people in america, the politicians in washington. you're talking about giving them the ex

if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." >>> could going over the fiscal cliff be just what washington has wanted all along? >>> millions of americans are getting battered by a third severe storm with drenching rains, chevy snow and strong winds. details ahead. >>> and the stars were out last night for the kennedy center's honors. members of led zeppelin, david letterman, dustin hoffman and many others. we'll have that and much more coming up this monday morning on "first look." and a very good morning to you. i'm veronica de la cruz. one solution being heard more and more about solving the nation's financial showdown could be actually allowing the deadline to pass and letting america go over the fiscal cliff. that would allow tax rates to rise on everybody. then congress could come back after the new year and cut taxes on everyone but the wealthy. nbc's mike viqueira has the story. >> reporter: administration optimism for a deal. but only if republicans give in on raising rates for the wealthy. >> you think we'll get a deal by the end of the year? >> i do. the only thing that stands in the way of a deal right now is if a group of repub

government employees say they can't afford anymore cuts and going over the fiscal cliff will impact millions of americans. >> there would be a lot of federal employees who would be furloughed or riffed and would lose their jobs. >> reporter: economists say the combination of automatic spending cuts and tax increases that will kick in january 1st if congress and the president don't reach an agreement could plunge the country back into recession. danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >> the house is scheduled to formally adjourn by the end of the year on december 14th but house majority leader says they will stay in session until a cred credible solution is worked out. >>> it could be a big day in the battle o of same sex mainly. the -- marriage. the justices are being asked to overturn a lower court ruling that the prop 8 ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. they may decide to hear the case or they could let the ruling by the lower court stand which could pave the way for gay marriages to resume in california. >>> a man is in serious condition after falling 30 feet at the oakland coliseum. it happened last

so before or after the government goes over the so-called fiscal cliff. "new york times" columnist david brooks describes it this way. republicans will be raising middle class taxes in order to serve the rich. shafting sam's club to benefit the country club. if republicans do this, they might as well get mitt romney's 47% comments printed on t-shirts and wear them for the rest of their lives. so republicans have to realize they're going to have to cave on tax rates. the only question is what they get in return. michael steele is former chair of the republican national committee and an msnbc political analyst, and steve mcmahon's a democratic strategist. michael, you're on the republican side, and what do you think of that? the argument made by brooks which is more sophisticated. make your deal now while you can get something for it because after january 1st you will just be saving your rear end. >> i think he's absolutely right. i think part of that deal should include giving the president what everybody in this town agrees on, and that is those middle tax cuts for the middle class

sense. also more americans are finally waking up to the fiscal cliff. december consumer sentiment nosedived to a five-year high, because of fiscal cliff fears. a spike in taxes would leave a lot less money lying around for the iphone or ipad. shares of apple fell 2%. >>> thanks to a study by the department of energy the u.s. may be closer to approve natural gas exports. data shows it could improve the economy by $47 billion in 2020. we need that. sounds like a win-win. we have the ceo of bright link oil and gas. chris, thanks for joining us. >> thank you. melissa: what do you make of this report? first of all, do you buy it? do you think it's possible? >> i do think it's possible and i'm glad to see it come out. what it really does now it shows over the 12 different scenarios that the government study investigated each one of those scenarios came back and said america will benefit and have a positive economic gain if we export lng offshore to europe, and or asia and to other countries that need our gas. melissa: we have so much natural gas unlocked as a result of fracking, the pro

pennsylvania. he'll tell americans the fiscal cliff will cause holiday shopping to plummet. >> let's give a christmas present to the american people. >> reporter: but the mood here on capitol hill is anything but festive. both sides say the tax hikes and spending cuts due to kick in at year end are unacceptable, they just don't believe each other. >> members of his own party seem quite comfortable of sending the economy over the fiscal cliff. >> reporter: the president sent timothy geithner to the hill with had $4 trillion plan. it includes 1.6 trillion in new taxes on upper income americans. 400 billion in cuts to medicare and other entitlement programs. and $50 billion in new spending on infrastructure and unemployment benefits. the biggest stumbling block remain. the new taxes on the wealthiest americans. while some republicans here in congress are hinting they might be open to the idea the majority seemed opposed. >> raising rates on the so-called rich is the holy grail of liberalism. their aim isn't job creation, they are interested in wealth distribution. >> reporter: the white house insists the president won't sign any bill

table but i think they're confused. what we have to do in the short term is avoid the fiscal cliff. the major decisions with regard to tax reform, social insurance programs, et cetera, can't and shouldn't be made until next year, after the american people are engaged and the committees do their work. >> david gergen, how do you get the political solution that opens the door to the policy conversations? >> well, i was encouraged that the republicans actually came forward with something today. a lot of people thought they would not. the president as you know, his team rejected it late this afternoon, but nonetheless, if people truly want to find a bridge to avoid the fiscal cliff, a way to get to the big issues as david walker says would have to come next year, i think they're the makings of it here. each side will have to compromise some more. each side will have to eat a little crow but i think it's imperative that the president take the view that what he's looking for is a win-win. if they take a win-win approach, i think they can get a deal. >> comment on that point. if two wrongs don't make a right but the two nonstarters maybe make a starter, how would you help them get there? >> look, i think there's a way to bridge this and for b

man on the fiscal cliff, treasury secretary tim geithner. >> let me ask you, the reaction to your going up on the hill and saying this is basically the white house position has been -- mitch mcconnell saying i think it was just demeaning for them to ask the treasury secretary to come up here and give a proposal like this and by this we have people saying it's a sham, it's -- you know, ridiculous, it's a nonstarter. when you went up there, you didn't think republicans were going to go "good idea." >> you know, what we're trying to do is get these guys to come together and reach an agreement that's going to be good for the country and good for the economy. >> by these guys you mean you all and the republicans. >> and democrats together. >> and the white house. >> that's what we're trying to do. what we did was put forward a very comprehensive, very carefully designed mix of savings and tax reforms to help us put us back on the path to stabilizing our debt and fixing our debt and living within our means. we've been very detailed about how to do that, both on the spending side and rev

interested in avoiding the fiscal cliff, and he's clearly not interested at all in cutting any spending. >> reporter: while democrats and republicans debate the size and specifics on tax increases, the two sides also remain apart on spending cuts, reforming entitlement programs like medicare and on the president's request to have greater power to raise the country's debt limit. but the news coming out of this one, "wall street journal" headlines saying that staff members from the president's team and from speaker boehner's team are genre assuming talks. we confirmed as of a couple of hours hag that that wasn't the case, so we're going to check on that right now. david: what they're talking about, we don't know. liz: maybe not dead in the water. david: thank you, rich, appreciate it. liz: we've got good news for all of you last minute shoppers out there coming up in the speed read. david: and up next, first on fox business, tom kloet, ceo of tmx group, a parent of the toronto stock exchange, on the impact of all these regulations coming out of our country. how will they affect businesses

time for politics and a time for governing. we are now approaching this fiscal cliff. it is time to govern. this election was a mandate for solutions. it was a mandate for consensus and compromise. house democrats have already said we would compromise. we want to get to higher ground with the republicans. i hope that speaker boehner will also see the handwriting on the wall and enforcing discipline in his own caucus and try and meet us in a compromise that reduces spending smartly, that pays down our deficit, that protects the middle class and that grows this economy again. we can do this if he is willing to compromise. today, he said, once again, he is not willing to compromise. >> here we go, round 14 or whatever it is. congressman steve israel, great to have you with us tonight. thanks so much. >>> the republican smear campaign against ambassador, susan rice, continues as more senators pile on. karen finney weighs in on what's the next best move then? the time is now to find out why the new push for immigration reform is making republicans very uncomfortable. stay with us. >>> su

-called fiscal cliff. that's the package of tax increases for most americans and budget cuts that will hit automatically unless the white house and congress find a gentler way to solve the crisis in the federal budget. here's how treasury secretary tim geithner put it on cnbc. >> is the administration prepared to go over the fiscal cliff? >> absolutely. there's no prospect to an agreement that doesn't involve those rates going up on the top 2% of the wealthiest americans. ren, it's only 2%. >> pelley: by 2% he means individuals making more than $200000 and couples taking in 250,000 or more. republicans say rates shouldn't be increased on anyone. with no agreement, going over the fiscal cliff would be painful. the automatic tax increases break down like this: households making $20,000 to $4,000 would see an increase in $1,200 a year. incomes of $40,000 to $64,000 would see taxes rise $2,000 and in the $64,000 to $108,000 bracket taxes go up $3,500 a year. mr. obama and the republican speaker of the house talked this over today and here's major garrett at the white house. major? >>

over the fiscal cliff. a new poll suggests president obama has the american people's support when it comes to taxing the wealthy. this poll shows nearly half of those surveyed once bush eras tax cuts to expire for those making more than $250,000 a year. the poll was taken last weekend. the questions did lean more to the men -- to the democratic party. eric cantor says republicans want to sit down with the president and talk specifics. president obama spoke with business executives, calling for a balanced approach combining taxes with cuts. the president rejected a gop counter offer, which targeted government cuts but did not add any new taxes. if the deal is not reached by january 1, everyone's taxes will go up and automatic spending cuts will go into affect. >> starbucks makes news for two reasons. why they want you to spend $450 this holiday season for one product. >> a would-be thief sets off a bomb next to an atm. what wins? pictures that will show you. >> feeling like >> ready ms from the district. police are looking -- breaking nes from the district. the victim was stabbed i

deal between republicans and the president to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. speaker john boehner spoke by phone yesterday. visit a northern virginia family today to highlight his call to extend current tax rates to 98% of americans. the two sides are at a stalemate over raising taxes on incomes more than $250,000 a year. however, house majority leader erik canter says the go p is ready to quote talk specifics. >> the serian army has loaded deadly gas into aerial bombs. something president obama has strongly warned against. the military is waiting for orders from the president to deploy the chemical weapons. this morning a blast hit the headquarters as fierce fighting rages in the suburbs. the german government approved sending air defense to boarders. >>> and in egypt, violent crashes led to 40 deaths and injuries. up until now the muslim brother hood which supports president morsi and protestors have demonstrated in different areas. the two sides resorted to rocks , fire bombs and they even fired shots at each other. right now tanks are outside the presidential palace and the army told the protestors to clear out by this morning. morsi is going ahead with a vote on a new constitution. due to address the nation later

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anita. >> thank you, gary. >>> president obama says the approaching fiscal cliff is going to add some stress for a lot of american families over this holiday season. there are just 25 days to go now until the tax hikes and the budget cuts go into effect. that is unless our leaders can make a deal. the white house has made it clear, we could go over that cliff if republicans refuse to raise tax rates on the top 2% of american earners. >> for them to be burdened unnecessarily because democrats and republicans aren't coming together to solve this problem gives awe sense of the costs involved in very personal terms. >> now, from the republican perspective they say they would like to close some loopholes and eliminate tax breaks but they insist that the bush-era tax cuts must be extended for all americans. >>> new at 11:00, president obama on the phone with the president of egypt, pressing him about protests that have now turned deadly. here's the scene in cairo. at least six people dead, hundreds more injured. the trouble all started when morrisey granted himself broad new powers. hat grown worse after he put in place a draft

we go over the fiscal cliff. 53% say it's on republicans. half that, 27%, will blame the president. this is progress. this is change. if president obama can break republicans on tax increases, this could redefine american politics. it would help to change our politics in very important ways. and who knows what else may be possible. joining me now is krystal ball and richard wolffe. thank you for being here tonight. >> thanks, reverend. >> thanks, reverend. krystal, how big a moment will it be if the president gets the republicans to cave on tax increases? >> i mean, it really is sort of hard to understate how significant that would be. it would es seshlgsentially mar end of when george w.h. bush led taxes. we had the contract for america. that in some ways was the precursor of the tea party and this very extreme rhetoric, us versus them rhetoric, where rather than talking about nuance differences between positions you call the president's health care bill socialism and yell about death panels and caricature things. that could be the most important shift. if they finally have to break and increase tax rates, they also have to change the way they talk about their policies. you can't just domogog. if they were off

obama said the approaching fiscal cliff will add to the holiday stress for american families. the president did not meet with congressional leaders on the fiscal cliff, instead, he met with a local middle class family. danielle lee joins us from capitol hill. danielle? >> reporter: doreen, president obama said he's highlighting the impact of tax heights on the middle class. there's growing pressure to stop the campaigning and sit down face to face. avoiding the bickering on capitol hill today, president obama headed to northern virginia. he sat down with tiffany santana and her family to put a face on the fiscal cliff. >> for them to be burdened unnecessarily because democrats and republicans aren't coming together to solve this problem, gives you a sense of the costs involved in very personal terms. >> reporter: tef any had used twitter to tell the president her family can't afford a tax increase. and the white house released this video. >> $2,000 for me would be paying a month's rent. >> reporter: back in washington, more gridlock. >> it's up to the republicans to decide how lon

go until the fiscal cliff, what would it take to get a deal? joining me now, men on opposite sides, grover norquist, president of americans for tax reform and robert reish, former secretary of labor for president bill clinton and the author of "beyond outrage." none of the three of us are beyond outrage, grover norquist, which is why i keep having you back. the situation it seems to me as an impartial observer here is that both sides have now made fairly ludicrous offers that they know the other side is never going to accept in a million years. that does beg the question, grover, why bother, given that both sides know where they need to move, why the games? >> well, it's not clear that both sides know. the week after the election, president obama was asked do you have to have the higher rates or could we have deductions and credits and he said he was open to negotiations. three weeks later, after thanksgiving, he shows up and all of a sudden there's a line in the sand on rates that had come out of nowhere, so the president seems to be moving the goal posts in a deliberate effort, i don't know, to extract something, to push pe

congress to accept a deal in fiscal cliff negotiations. the white house is pulling out all stops and cranking up the social media campaign. president obama has been encouraging supporters to tweet with the #my2k, explaining what a $2,000 tax increase would mean for them and their families. the white house reports the hash tag has appeared in over 275,000 tweets with twitter seeing more than 18,000 tweets per hour add its peak. the road show coupled with the social media campaign is unprecede unprecedented. this is the kind of effort that helped president obama win a second term. now we'll see if his grassroots army can convince republicans to do what's right by the american people. i'm joined tonight by democratic strategist donna gentile-o'donnell and msnbc political analyst and georgetown university professor, michael eric dyson. great to have you with us tonight. >> thank you. >> i just want to go right to this poll. this quinnipiac poll was released today, and it shows the majority of the american people want tax rates to go up for the top 2%. donna, what about this? i mean, i do

way. and then there was this on the fiscal cliff from a.t. in manassas. he says fear not the fall. the bush era tax cuts were never meant to be permanent. i don't look forward to more taxes, but the hard facts is to get out of debt somebody has to pay. the other part of the cliff is spending. congress needs to pull back spending, but that's highly unlikely without being forced. i say let it fall. i'd agree if we had no other choice, but from where i sit going off that fiscal cliff represents a disastrous failure of leadership at the top level and i think we need to demand better. >>> also speaking of something better we got this simple prescription from tony. after watching all the republicans and democrats cheering together at the last washington redskin game maybe rg3 should be asked to negotiate the fiscal cliff discussions. i'm just saying. i'm wishing it was so, tony, but i think managing those characters over on pennsylvania avenue might be too much even for our rookie phenom. i'd settle for him whooping the ravens gangnam style. i also want some e-mail. the address here mailbag@

looming fiscal cliff hits in just about a month. we follow every second of that as painful as it is. many unemployed americans will lose their unemployment benefits. sounds awful if you're one of those folks, but to generous benefits prolonged joblessness. and what effect will this have on the economy as a whole? gerri willis is here to sort it all out. >> look, you're absolutely right. a lot of people falling off the unemployment world. the numbers are pretty astounding, millions of people, 40% will lose their benefits with 5 million people getting unemployment right now. the length of time to get benefits has decreased, but the cbo said if you fully extend the benefits yet again, 300,000 jobs created. maybe this is the secret job creation we have been waiting for from the administration. tracy: helps the economy because you go out and spend it. >> a lot of people say we have to get people motivated to find their job, growing company, come up with a new idea, kept hustling and a lot of people are nervous about what has become an entrenched jobs program, people want to see something else happen. ashley: here we go

. then, despite the looming fiscal cliff, americans are focused as we say on that to do list. what do you consider are the most pressing economic issues facing the united states today, jobs and unemployment, far and away, number one, 30%, followed by government spending, the budget deficit, and then back the wages at 11%. 41% saying he their wages or unemployment and then you see the government spending peace. if you look at how this breaks out by republican, democrat, independent, independent and democrats rank jobs higher than wages, and if you look at republics, they rank spending and the deficit. when you go back to this idea of compromise, where are you compromising about? these are very tricky times in terms of creating a working coalition on that issue. compromise -- considering the challenges facing the country, which of the following actions do you believe will to the most to help the country improve? we read three separate purchase to this. the number one was growing economy and creating jobs through investments, even if that means continued deficits and tax increases. that

fiscal cliff, that difference between tax rates for the wealthiest americans. and what house democrats announced they're going to try to do is an end run around the house gop to try to file a petition in order to try to push a vote on the house floor to just raise taxes -- excuse me, to just extend the bush-era tax rates for middle class americans. but to do that, as you know, they need 218 votes and there's still a very sizable republican majority in the house. it will be difficult for democrats to do that. >> absolutely. and that proposal to take away what has been historically a congressional prerogative was a little bit surprising even to people who have been reading about this stuff for years. is it true though, dana, as it has been in past years that both sides at least have to show their bases that they're fighting the good fight and that's part of what's going on here? >> reporter: absolutely. there's no question about it. what i mention in the piece really is a real phenomenon here when it comes to the feeling among congressional democrats that they are saying halleluijah. the

steny hoyer gives me the latest fiscal cliff developments and the democratic line on medicare. tom perriello from the center of american progress action fund on how democrats can deal with republicans who can't deal with reality. rubio and ryan reload with a new message for the middle class. >> both parties tend to divide americans into our voters and their voters. >> but there is no escaping their own policies. >> we're going to a majority of takers versus makers in america. >> dnc chair debbie wasserman schultz responds tonight. plus, senator barbara boxer on her new plan for national polling place standards. and a new poll shows half of all republicans think the defunct group a.c.o.r.n. stole the election from president obama. >> that's an eye opener. >> i wonder where they ever got that idea? >> you just have to wait and see what happens. >>> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. here is are the latest. republicans are at a stalemate with the white house for debt negotiations. republicans really only have two options now, bad and worse. "the new york times" is the latest outlet to report on senior re

will push back on president obama's demand for tax hikes on the rich when it comes to the fiscal cliff. but treasury secretary timothy geithner says the white house will not give in. >> no prospect to an agreement that doesn't involve those rates going up on the top 2% of the wealthiest americans. remember it's only 2%. >> geithner adds the obama administration is, quote, absolutely prepared to go off the cliff, if necessary. joining me now is van jones, cnn contributor and former obama administration official. good morning. >> god morning to you. >> so, van, i guess my first question that's eatsy for geithner to say, we're perfectly willing to go off the fiscal cliff. that means a tax hike on middle class americans and maybe some of them are thinking this morning i'm not really so happy geithner said that. >> it might have been inartful for him to say it the way he said it. i think he is making a very important point, which is that the american people did vote. they voted for the one thing the president said very clearly, which is that tax rates would go up on the wealthiest. it's an incredibly popular position. it's important for republicans to know that the white house is not going to accept any kind of a deal. that's the point he was trying to make. i think all the leverage now is w

doing it. let me give you an idea. we've got a fiscal cliff now. we have the fiscal abyss next year. we need to say, don't come home. no deal, no break. members should be in washington at least five days a week like every other american and not leave until they deal with the fiscal cliff this year or until we get a grand bargain next year. they would pull off seven times more days -- >> david faber tweeted this morning that they should be locked in a room and forced to listen to the animal orchestra until they have a deal. >> david faber's hair. >> you put them in a room. you tell them they're going to sit there until the deal is done. day three, no more food. day five, no water. day seven, the waterboarding begins. that would get it done. >> and the president should be there, too. >> the president does work five days a week. >> but not in the same room. but he is home. he's already home. >> but listen, they spend too much time raising money. if they did a good job, they wouldn't have to raise as many money. if they got paid for performance, they wouldn't have any money. >> are you going to run for linda mcmahon's seat? >> she doesn't have a seat. >> i know that. but was that the same one she was running for? >> i was in

americans about the ongoing fiscal cliff negotiations. the white house started a hash tag, my 2 k which refers to the $2,000 the average middle class american will pay in taxes if a deal is not reached. >>> that's how he gets it done, like the rest of us, huh? >> doing it himself. >>> a health scare for a former child star. a stroke that landed frankie muneasy in the hospital. >>> did you know there's a black friday at your doctor's office? why the date of your appointment matters so much. >>> and new this afternoon, a big break in the case of a man pushed to his death on theew york subway. plus, the backlash against the photographer who captured the victim's final moments. >>> a young star in hollywood is recovering today from a stroke. frankie muneasy suffered what he called a mini stroke. the malcolm in the middle star said, he was in the hospital last week, that he needs to start better care of his body and that the whole thing made him feel old. he turns 27 today. >>> at the end of the year, most health care providers are trying to close their books. and many patients are trying to figure out how to spend the last of their health care dolla

. >> reporter: but the president says the so-called fiscal cliff is a solvable problem. critical as the holidays approach and businesses make investment and hiring decisions for next year. while polls show many americans are pessimistic, there's optimism in this home. >> i got a sense that he's confident that what's best for the american people will happen. >> yeah. >> reporter: you agree? >> yes. >> i do too. >> reporter: but for now, the gop's resisting any tax increases even on those upper income americans. house republicans of course have made the counteroffer with $800 billion in new revenue and an overhaul of the tax code. wolf, they feel as if they have moved the ball, but they don't believe that the president is interested in avoiding the fiscal cliff. >> these negotiations, dan, they usually go until the bitter, bitter end. a lot of folks are assuming that before that end there will be a deal. give us a flavor of the mood at the white house. >> reporter: well, i think they're preparing for this fiscal cliff scenario to play out, wolf. but as you point out when we look back over the last three years, we've had these kinds of negotiations, it at times appears very optimistic that things will get do

he asked them what they thought about the fiscal cliff. take a look. >> time to sharpen your pencils and get over yourselves. >> be realistic and stop being political. >> i think they're all -- because they're not getting together. don't be democrats, don't be republicans. they're american citizens. work together to get the work done. >> so that's the clear message, wolf. you understand there was a huge gender gap for democrats in this last elections. republicans have to look at that and say, okay, we have to get something done. but let me add this. when peter hart actually laid out on the table here are the choices you have to make on spending and here are the choices you have to make on taxes, they had a little bit more difficult time in deciding what to do. so they began to realize the extent of the difficulty in cutting any real deal. >> yeah. not belittling the difficulty. these are tough, tough issues. but the stakes are really, really important right now. there is a little wiggle room. >> yeah. >> as far as the president and the democrats are concerned when it comes to raising tax rates for the wealthy. >> sure. the president's been very careful not to say we have to go up to the clinton-era 39.6%. he hasn't used that number. and so he's -- you know -- >> right now it's 3

toward the fiscal cliff remember that president obama has the majority of the american electorate on his side. he has the majority of the u.s. senate on his side too. but the one place he does not have the majority is the house of representatives, of course, where republicans out number democrats. that's the only place republicans have any leverage. so what will the democrats there do to help the president out? minority leader nancy pelosi offered insight to have at meeting with second of treasury quite miles an hour. ry geithner. >> there are tough choices it isn't easy but it's necessary, i have confidence that my republican colleagues will see the light. and at least pass a new tax cut so we have that legal of confidence and we can go from there. >> jennifer: sound like she is saying the republicans might not be tough enough to do the right thing. sound like she's got the president's back. now, to take us inside the house democrat i can caucus we are turn to go a great reliable source house democrat maryland congresswoman donna edwards joins us from washington d.c. she was the

parties to find common ground. solving the fiscal cliff in a manner that addresses the true drivers of our debt and saves american jobs is a great way for the president to start his second term. and for the good of our country, and my colleagues, we're ready to work with the president to achieve those goals. >> mr. speaker, couple things. first, on the issue of tax rates, are you willing to accept no deal that includes some increase in those top tax rates? and i'm also wondering what our final deadline is on this? when do we really have to have a deal? >> increasing tax rates draws money away from our economy that needs to be invested in our economy to put the american people back to work. it's the wrong approach. we're willing to put revenues on the table, but revenues that come from closing loopholes, getting rid of special interest deductions, and not raising rates. we think it's better for the economy. pure and simple. secondly, the american people expect us to find common ground, to work together, and to resolve this. and frankly, sooner is better than later. >> you've been doing this for a long time. the past 24

people expect it if we come it to a deal with the fiscal cliff and get economic growth and get people investing, inflation will go up. so that is going to be a problem for american families. like you said, there are places that business can succeed. is it government-infused money to get there, or is it going to be actual, real, american dollars in there? >> susan, that's really the opportunity. first of all, i don't think inflation is a concern for years. in order for inflation to be a concern it it has to get into the wage cycle. we're far from that. the needs are clear. ports, roads, transport rail and plus protection against extreme weather. on the other side demand. the demand for infrastructure investments isle coming from the private sector. this is very new and it's driven by the fact as rates come down the opportunities for investors, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds to find opportunities to give them the yield they want, 5 to 6% are disappearing. infrastructure offers that opportunity. it's a long-term opportunity. it matches their liabilities, what they need to protect to pay off their retirees very nicely. so i think there's actually a sweet spot betwe

avoiding the fiscal cliff and also his treasury secretary as well going up on the hill talking to members of congress essentially putting forward his plan that would require tax hikes for the wealthiest americans. it is something that republicans are not pleased with. we expect republicans' response very soon. we're iffing to bring that to you live. if you would like to continue listening to the speech, go to cmn.com/live and continue to listen to the president. up next we are also focussing on another story. each year thousands of young british girls lured into a world of sex abuse. we're going to take a look at how predators, they're using gifts, alcohol, social media to gain the trust of their victims. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? let me put you on webcan... ...lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus h

concerned that the fiscal cliff is keeping jobs from hiring. vice president joe biden will have lunch with a group of middle class americans. their taxes could sky rocket if congress and president obama don't reach an agreement on a budget by the end of the year. the white house has highlighted several middle class families' struggles in making the case for a deal. >>> in syria tensioned at a boiling point between rebels and the government. syrian rebels have declared damascus international airport a military target, warning civilians and airlines not to approach it. this comes as reports of the government preparing to use chemical weapons on the civilians there. since march of 2011, 40,000 people have been killed in the country's civil war. >>> a u.s. capitol police officer is in the hospital this morning after being hit by a car. this happened around 8:30 last night around massachusetts avenue in northeast washington. we're told the officer was hit during a traffic stop. her condition has not been released. so far no charges have been filed against the driver. >>> a video posted online is sparking an investigation of a metro bu

lot of what the fiscal cliff is. move a lot of the damage to the economy on january 1. let's go ahead and pass that. we can debate the upper income taxes and the spending later. it's not implausible, you can make a sophisticated argument why it's a mistake but as a first blush argument the president has the advantage. >> bret: juan? >> i think that you are starting to see much of the posturing and the poxing and the -- positioning and the democrats and president have advantage and trying to take advantage of it. you see it from the polls that come out and most people blame republicans if there is to deal. right now just what you saw from speaker boehner. speaker boehner says the president is asking for $1.6 trillion in terms of added revenue. boehner has come out and said he will do a deal with $800 billion, which is what the president was asking for before. what you have is the outline now, the early outlines of some in between spot where they could in fact find middle ground. then you have the democrats trying to put pressure on the republicans to name their own cuts. where would yo